Whither African chess?

For decades, ACU had been operating with no bank account and no secretariat from where to coordinate its affairs. Every elected ACU president could as a result keep ACU funds in his/her own bank account. As a result, newly elected ACU president Dabilani Buthali faces an insurmountable task to turn things around at the organisation.

Much also needs to be done in motivating many African nations to take part in both ACU and International Chess Federation (FIDE) activities. Of the 20 African countries registered with FIDE, only a few take part in its Olympiad, while less than 10 participate in the annual Africa Junior and Africa individuals' events. Save for some few Southern African states, the rest on the continent simply do not care.